Fixing Fate's Mistake
by Lamia of the Dark
Summary: Oneshot. Starbrightverse soulmate!AU. Cardin is horrified by his soulmate's identity and attempts to remove the evidence of the bond. (Written for the Caesar's Palace Color Challenge, prompt: brown.) WARNINGS: self-harm


**DISCLAIMER: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

~ Fixing Fate's Mistake ~

His soulmate couldn't be a Faunus. It was impossible. Cardin refused to accept it. Your soulmate was supposed to be one the person out of everyone in the world who you would be the _happiest_ with.

Cardin narrowed his eyes at his reflection. His 'third eye' jewel stared back at him from the mirror. It had turned an unremarkable brown, the color of his fated romantic partner's eyes. _Brown is a poop color_ , the most juvenile part of his mind couldn't help adding.

"Fate was wrong," he growled, finally tearing his gaze away from his own reflection as he opened the bathroom's medicine cabinet and started digging around for a razor.

He'd already tried pulling on the jewel to see if it could be removed that way, but it wasn't just stuck to surface of the skin. It seemed to be rooted into the front of his skull somehow. _But if it's anything like an actual eyeball, it shouldn't be too difficult to pry from its socket_ , he thought, forgetting that part of the reason eyes were easy to remove was because they were squishy.

Cardin attempted to wedge the blade of the razor under the jewel in order to pry it out of the socket, but the blade kept slipping away from the rounded surface. After repeating this several times with similar results, he began to think that his aura might be what was causing this particular maneuver's lack of success. If he'd had any concept of basic physics, he might have considered otherwise, but since he'd blackmailed other students into doing his homework for him rather than actually bothering to learn things in his classes, he didn't possess the knowledge to consider that alternative.

He concentrated and pushed his aura away from his forehead, leaving that area vulnerable to damage, and once more attempted to wedge the razor between the jewel and the hard ridge of bone into which it was set. Unfortunately, he failed to account for the tissue covering that bone and he jumped at the sharp sting of pain as the blade bit into his flesh.

The razor slipped from his grasp and clattered into the sink. He blinked, staring at the thin trail of blood running from the cut on his reflection's forehead. He was so used to his aura deflecting damage that he'd forgotten what actually being injured felt like. He couldn't even recall the last time he'd actually _bled_.

The color of the gem looked duller next to the bright red of his blood, and it was this thought that spurred Cardin into action once more. He picked up the razor and went back to work, trying to pry the jewel loose from where it was stuck into his forehead.

A few more cuts and some careful probing with his fingers revealed that there was no socket from which the jewel could be pried. It was attached firmly to his skull, as if it had grown there like some kind of tumor.

 _Well, then, I guess the only thing to do in that case is break the jewel itself_.

He washed the blood off his hands and picked up his mace.

* * *

RDL of Team CRDL straggled into history class ten minutes late and appearing more anxious than just being late for a class should warrant.

"Good of you boys to join us," Dr. Oobleck said, with only the barest hint of sarcasm. "And might I ask where your team leader is?"

"He's... in the infirmary," Russel replied hesitantly.

"Ah, I see. That explains your tardiness as well, I presume. Anyway, on with the lesson!"

Cardin's teammates were visibly relieved not to be questioned about their leader's condition or how he had come to be in such a state.

Once the class ended, Oobleck headed to the infirmary. When he arrived, he saw that several other teachers - including the headmaster - had apparently had the same idea.

"I suppose you're here to find out about Mr. Winchester's condition, as well?" Ozpin asked.

"Precisely," Oobleck replied.

"Ah, yes, it would have been your class that he missed, wouldn't it?" Port piped up.

"That _isn't_ why I'm worried. His team seemed quite shaken after the incident. I didn't ask them for details."

"It seems that Mr. Winchester met his soulmate, and... was not pleased with result," Ozpin said.

"Which doesn't explain how he ended up in the infirmary."

Since Ozpin seemed reluctant to go into details about the incident, Glynda stepped in to take up the tale: "From what his team said about the way they found him, it seems he attempted to remove his soulmate jewel with a razor. When that failed, he tried to break the jewel. By hitting himself. In the face. With his own weapon. He's just lucky that he knocked himself out without doing serious damage to his own skull."

~end~


End file.
